Sewell's Marauders defend Yates Cup

Sewell's Marauders defend Yates Cup

A successful Yates Cup title defence, a CIS-record for consecutive wins and a fourth straight OUA all-star selection.

Yeah, you could say it was a good week for Matt Sewell.

Saturday afternoon the towering offensive lineman hoisted the Ontario university football championship trophy for the second time in as many years, as his powerhouse McMaster Marauders vanquished Guelph 30-13 at Ron Joyce Stadium.

While McMaster is widely regarded as the nation’s best offensive team in recent memory, it was the defence that stood tall in this year’s Yates Cup, forcing four turnovers and holding the Gryphons to just a field goal on two huge drives at key points in the game.

The defending Vanier Cup champion Marauders allowed just three points in the entire second half en route to a new national record 20th consecutive victory.

Part of a formidable o-line guarding star quarterback Kyle Quinlan, Sewell — nicknamed ‘The Bear’ for his six-foot-eight, 340-pound stature — was one of three McMaster o-linemen named to the OUA’s first-team all-star squad Wednesday.

He was a first-team all-star last season as well and given the nod for the second-team as both a rookie and sophomore.

Overall, 13 Marauders were named to one of the two teams.

The top ranked team throughout this season, McMaster will now host the Calgary Dinos in this coming Saturday’s Mitchell Bowl. If successful, the Marauders will face either Laval or Acadia in the national championship November 23 at the Rogers Centre.

All four teams are back-to-back conference champions, a first for Canadian university football.

Earlier this fall, Sewell was ranked fourth on the CFL Scouting Bureau’s Top-15 Canadian prospects for the 2013 CFL Draft.